A civic space dialogue organised by the Civic Impact for Sustainable Development Foundation has examined strategies for integrating a Digital–Green Twin Transition into Kaduna State’s ongoing youth policy review.
The dialogue, held on Monday in Kaduna, was themed “Harnessing Kaduna’s Demographic Dividend: Mainstreaming the Digital-Green Twin Transition into the State Youths Policy.”
Presenting an overview of the policy review, the Executive Director of Civic Impact, Yusuf Goje, described Kaduna’s growing youth population as a strategic economic opportunity.
He recalled that the 2021–2025 youth policy identified Kaduna as a demographic crossroads, with population projections estimated at 12.9 million by 2030.
Goje said that with 43 per cent of the population under the age of 15, young people represented the future workforce capable of driving economic growth.
However, he noted that current realities remained challenging, citing 35 per cent unemployment among youths aged 15–35 and nearly 60 per cent of those aged 15–24 classified as Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET).
He stressed that females accounted for 54.6 per cent of the youth population, underscoring the need for deliberate gender-responsive interventions.
Goje also highlighted health concerns, noting that only 17.6 per cent of deliveries occurred in health facilities, while the state had just three youth-friendly health centres.
He explained that the policy’s five pillars aligned with the Kaduna State Development Plan, focusing on workforce productivity, health and social welfare, participation, protection, and partnerships.
According to him, the policy categorised youths into low-risk, especially vulnerable, and most-at-risk groups to ensure inclusive interventions.
Goje outlined an implementation framework involving multiple sectors, including government ministries, schools of technology, private innovation hubs and civil society organisations.
He identified gaps in the existing policy, saying that information and communication technology (ICT) and environmental sustainability were treated separately, limiting opportunities for green-tech job creation.
He added that digital skills training remained largely restricted to office software, while environmental action focused mainly on conservation and waste management.
Goje proposed the integration of green-tech roles such as data analytics for climate-smart agriculture and Internet of Things (IoT) applications for smart energy systems.
He emphasised that digital transition could not succeed without reliable power supply, while green transition could not scale without digital monitoring systems.
He called for the establishment of solar-powered digital hubs to address rural digital exclusion and reduce carbon footprints.
Goje also lamented the absence of youth-focused climate finance and proposed the creation of a Twin Transition Venture Fund to support digital climate solutions.
He said the policy review must address the “triple divide” affecting young women across gender, digital access and climate vulnerability, advocating explicit quotas for women in agri-tech and green innovation programmes.
Describing the Digital–Green Twin Transition as a move towards a knowledge-based economy, Goje said the revised policy would introduce virtual skills hubs, data-driven youth governance, AI literacy and remote work readiness.
Earlier, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Youth Development, Gloria Ibrahim, said youth inclusion remained central to effective governance.
She thanked civil society organisations for creating platforms that amplified youth voices in policymaking.
Ibrahim said the Ministry of Youth Development was established to address years of youth exclusion from policies that directly affected them.
She noted that many existing policies predated the ministry and lacked meaningful youth input, stressing that policies must evolve into actionable plans owned and implemented by young people.
She also lamented low awareness of frameworks such as the Demographic Dividend Roadmap and said the ministry was working to improve policy awareness and implementation at the community level.
According to her, the government was partnering with financial institutions to provide grants and support for youth-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Ibrahim added that investments in technology hubs and green transport would promote legitimate wealth creation and urged youths to take responsibility for governance outcomes.
During a panel discussion, the Founder of Ihifix Technologies, Mr Emmanuel Adikpe, called for a dedicated digital youth chapter in the revised policy.
He criticised outdated definitions of digital skills and urged the recognition of tech hubs as formal skills development partners.
Adikpe said skills acquisition must reflect evolving labour market demands and argued that climate action must be economically viable to be sustainable.
He called for programmes that link digital innovation and green enterprises to long-term income generation.
the event brought together government officials, civil society actors, technologists and youth leaders to shape evidence-based policy reforms.
The high point of the event was the dissemination of a simplified version of the Kaduna State Demographic Dividend Roadmap (2024) and the presentation of awards to development partners.
The awardees included the FCDO-Lafiya and PACE Programmes, among others.
The dialogue was supported by FCDO-Lafiya and PACE Programmes, Ihifix Technologies, Procyon Radio and TV, Barnseed, the Youth Advocacy Coalition on Demographic Dividend Roadmap (YACDDR), the Institute of Budget Policy, Leapman Legal, the Youth and Community Development Initiative Kaduna, and the Ministry of Youth Development.